ESPN’s preseason power rankings for the 2026 college football season are in, and the SEC is once again packed near the top.
Four league teams landed inside ESPN’s top 10, and nine SEC programs showed up in the top 25 overall. Georgia checked in as the conference’s highest-rated team at No. 2.
Mark Schlabach’s assessment of the Bulldogs points to a team that could be getting a little overlooked despite its recent success. Georgia has followed SEC titles with quarterfinal exits in the CFP in each of the past two seasons, and Schlabach noted that coach Kirby Smart’s group “might be flying under the radar.”
He also pointed to quarterback Gunner Stockton, who should be better in his second year as a starter, and a defense loaded with star power. The biggest question, though, is whether Georgia can create more havoc up front after finishing last in the SEC in sacks with 20 in 2025.
Schlabach singled out linebackers Chris Cole, Chase Linton and Quintavius Johnson as names to know.
Texas and LSU joined Georgia in ESPN’s top 10, giving the SEC three of the highest-ranked teams in the country. The rest of the conference’s top-25 representation included Texas A&M at No.
11, Ole Miss at No. 13, Oklahoma at No. 14 and Alabama at No.
ESPN’s list is a little different from the AP Top 25 released earlier this week, which also included Tennessee and Mizzou. Those two didn’t make ESPN’s latest power rankings, at least not yet.
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Charlie Weis Jr. has been around Lane Kiffin long enough to know how the relationship has evolved, from their early days together at Alabama to stops at Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss before the path led him to LSU. The connection carried real weight, too, because Kiffin was one of the first coaches to believe in him and kept giving him a place to grow as the jobs got bigger.
At LSU, though, the pull was about more than loyalty. Weis Jr. had an opportunity that came with a three-year contract reportedly worth $7.5 million, a figure that topped what Ole Miss was willing to put on the table. For LSU, it was another reminder of how aggressively the program can recruit proven coaching talent, and for Weis Jr. it was a chance to make a new move without leaving behind the influence that helped shape his career. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Eligibility Fight Just Got Messier For Former Tigers And A Key Transfer
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For LSU fans, the wrinkle is that not everyone is in the same legal boat. Some former Tigers, along with a key transfer, remain eligible because of state-level temporary restraining orders, even as the NCAA picked up a significant win against the broader nationwide injunction. The result is more uncertainty in a dispute that could keep affecting rosters, timelines and plans as the legal process plays out. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Edge Rotation Could Get Even Scarier For 2026
LSUs edge room already has the look of a group that could be one of the Tigers most intriguing units heading toward 2026, and there may still be another veteran piece in the mix. Jack Pyburn, who recently got on the field in a preseason NFL game, now has the option to return to LSU after a temporary restraining order tied to a lawsuit against the NCAA opened the door for some players to reconsider their paths.
For LSU, the possibility matters because the position already features a blend of transfers and returning contributors, giving the staff real flexibility but also a crowded chart to sort through. Pyburn has not made an official decision, and any move will likely hinge on where his NFL opportunity leads, but his return would add another experienced body to a rotation that was already trending toward being a strength. [Read more 🡒]